Data Drafts: Fused
by FortuneAly
Summary: Sequel to "Battle Force 5: Data Drafts". The second series of one-shots revolving around the series.
1. Unite and Strike!

Author's Note: It's still early in the second season, but I got a few new ideas and they're waiting to get out. Like before, I'll write twenty of these "Data Drafts", I may add a few extra ones if you want to.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 21: Unite and Strike!

Light cracked through Vert's murky haze of vision as he came to. The fight with the Red Sentients in the Ice Zone took a lot out of him and the Saber. He was beaten up, his glasses broken, and he caught a slight cold. A small coat of snow covered his Battle Suit, but he was still sustaining body heat.

He stood up slowly and brushed the snow off of him. During the fight, each member from each team got separated. With the team split up, the Battle Force Five had to fight their counterparts alone. What made things worse, however, was that prior to this, their teamwork was waning.

The war with the Red Sentients was straining their friendship. Everyone got aggravated at even the smallest things. Nerves were getting frayed. People were on edge.

And then things blew up.

"All that frustration…" Vert said weakly as he made his way to his car. "We should have let it out earlier …"

He opened the Saber's windshield and got in. After checking to see that it was still running, he started it up and took off. "Agura! Stanford!" he spoke into the communicator. "Zoom, Sherman, Spinner! Can anyone hear me?" he called out worriedly.

No response. 'Bad signal here,' he predicted as he warmed up more. 'I hope everyone's having a better time than me.'

* * *

A very cold Zoom looked at what was behind him. Up ahead was a red vehicle coming his way. 'Krytus,' he thought, trying to stand up amidst his shivering. 'Kytren definitely doesn't chill here.'

He was in bad shape. Kytren had knocked Zoom off the Chopper and nearly buried him and the motorcycle in an avalanche. Kytren surprisingly left him afterward, likely having given the order to let him die of hypothermia.

As his vision got back into focus, however, he saw that the car coming wasn't the Syfurious. It was the Saber, and it came to a stop near the Chopper. "Zoom!" Vert called as he ran out.

"H-h-hey…" Zoom greeted. Vert got on his knees and picked the younger teen up. He held him close to his body. "D-d-don't b-b-bother," he said, teeth chattering.

"And let you be a Zoom-sicle? Not a chance," he told him. "Don't try to talk."

Zoom tried his best to nod. The two remained like this for what felt like an eternity. Vert was sharing his body heat with him in the hopes it would help him warm up.

"That fight," Zoom began after the long moment of silence. "I'm sorry."

"My bad, actually," Vert apologized, also upset. "I thought I could handle it. I didn't want to put you all in danger."

"So you did forget," Zoom told him.

"I didn't forget about you guys, but I did want this over with. I know, not like me at all."

"At least I hung onto it. Agura wanted you to have it when we found you."

"Huh?"

Zoom took out a small metal sphere with a blue energy core glowing in it. "A Binary Fusion Pod!" Vert exclaimed as he recognized the item. He took it from him. "Do you know where the others are?"

Zoom, having warmed up considerably, got out of his friend's arms. "Got the Buster's coordinates," he explained. "Let's use the SkyKnife to track them down and rescue them."

"All right, Rescue Protocol, going up!" Vert said with some of his confidence restored.

Both went into their vehicles and rode off. Vert fired the Binary Fusion Pod up ahead. It activated and opened two portals, one red and one blue, connected by a path of white energy. Vert went in first, followed by Zoom.

Above them, Krytus and Kytren were witnessing the fusion. The duo raced out to try and jump them before they could fuse.

Vert turned the dial and he and Zoom's uniforms changed colors to white with their respective theme color on their suits. Their vehicles changed to white.

"Unite!" Vert began.

By the time the two Red Sentients arrived, the hybrid vehicle had taken off into the air.

"And Strike!" the two finished in unison.


	2. Close Call

Author's Note: Follow up to Data Draft 21 and dedicated to Jessangel249, whose favorite characters are the Cortez brothers.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Battle Force 5 Data Drafts

Draft 22: Close Call

'Come on, just a bit further!' Sherman thought as he desperately struggled to get Spinner away from the edge. Cracking was soon heard below him. The cliff wasn't going to last much longer. He needed to pick up the pace or lose him for good.

Though the pair got rid of Krylox after some effort to fend off his clones, Krytus later arrived and sliced the top of the Buster Tank off. He threw the top aside over a cliff with Spinner still in it. The older brother was hanging on for his life by a rope Sherman threw near him.

The terrain proved very troublesome and it was hard to pull something back with deep snow slowing you down, even if you're going at full speed.

"Hey, bro?" Spinner asked, scared.

"Yeah?" Sherman asked back.

"I remember someone saying 'count your blessings before they're all gone'," he told him. "I don't need to do a whole lot of that now."

Rumbling was soon heard. Spinner panicked as soon as he looked down. He couldn't see what was below him from the snow storm, but whatever was down there would be the end of him. He was starting to get rope burns. And the rope was about to snap.

"Bro, don't look down!" Sherman warned him.

"Too late…" Spinner said in a meek voice. "Anyway, I've got a few blessings, and they're all flashing right before my eyes, but there's one thing that stands out the most."

"What's that?"

"You, Little Bro! You, the man who always helps me set things straight when I screw up. The man who helped me in high school so I could graduate with you. You're smart, strong, the man of the hour. I love you, Sherman!"

"You too, Spinner. There'll be more fun times up ahead, I just know it. Just gotta get through this toughie. Then we can put it all behind us and make up with the team."

"I'd give anything to see their faces again! Even my life!"

The rope finally broke and the cliff gave way, sending Spinner falling to an icy doom. "SHERMANN!" Spinner yelled as he fell down.

"Spinner! **No!**" Sherman yelled in panic and grief.

A loud whoosh entered his hearing. Sherman looked up, then at the windshield to find the SkyKnife making a nosedive down the Cliffside.

"The SkyKnife…Vert! Zoom!" he exclaimed, tears forming up in his eyes.

* * *

"Hang on to your helmet, Zoom! It's gonna be close!" Vert warned him as they plummeted down at a high speed.

The two pulled up on the controls, straightening the SkyKnife to jet cruising level while trying to keep their speed. Spinner landed on the front of the combined vehicle unharmed, a portion of the rope in hand despite his burns indicating that he should let go. He looked around and saw the two. Joy immediately swept through him.

They soon got back to solid ground above them. Sherman sighed in relief, and then got out of the tank. The other three got off of the SkyKnife.

"I owe you big time," Sherman said gratefully.

"So I guess we're cool, too, huh?" Vert asked.

"Yup," Sherman said smiling.

"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou **soo much**…!" Spinner wept as he hugged Zoom.

"Anytime," Zoom answered as he returned the embrace.

"That leaves Agura and Stanford," Vert said.

Sherman nodded and got back into the tank. He quickly ran some calculations and pinpointed their locations. "The Tangler and the Reverb are northwest 10 miles from here!" he pinpointed.

Spinner got out of Zoom's embrace and wiped the tears from his eyes. "The reunion's been fun, but let's get the others!" he said. He got back into the tank, and Vert and Zoom got back into the SkyKnife. A tremor rocked the hybrid.

"Time's running out!" Vert alerted Zoom. "Let's rescue them and head back to the portal."

They all sped off as fast as they can to get the rest of their teammates.


	3. Struggle

Author's Note: Follow up to Data Draft 22.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Battle Force 5 Data Drafts

Draft 23: Struggle

'What a way to make an exit,' Agura thought as she tried to fight against the push of both the Venikus and the Syfurious. "Stanford?" she called. "Are you holding up?"

"I'm on thin ice at the moment!" Stanford replied on communicator. He fired back at two of Kyrosys' fire wheels. The blasts negated each other upon impact.

It didn't help that they were outnumbered four to two. And it didn't help that part of the battlefield had frozen water over the edge. Stanford fell over the edge during his fight with Kytren and Kyrosys, but Agura warned him of black patches in the ice. It meant it was thin and wouldn't last with the Reverb's weight on it.

"I radioed for help, the others should be coming soon," Agura told him through communicator.

"It shouldn't take this long!" Stanford complained. He saw a black patch ahead and raced to it. Kyrosys cackled maniacally and hit the gas.

"Kyrosys, you fool!" Kyburi warned.

Stanford screeched to a halt at a patch. As expected, it began to crackle due to the weight.

"Stanford, don't!" Agura warned. Kyburi got an advantage and pushed half the Tangler down. Blades came from Agura's tires and tacked onto the ground. Krytus jumped out of the Syfurious, turned his arm into a red blade and proceeded to stab the windshield of the ATV.

Vert and the others, the SkyKnife having separated inches before coming here, saw the problem immediately. "Full throttle!" he commanded. All three vehicles raced into battle.

Stanford found the right timing and activated a sound system below his car. A pulse hit the thin ice and smashed the patch to pieces while sending the Reverb into the air. Before Kyrosys could fire, the Synthrax fell into the icy water. The car disappeared, and the change in temperature turned Kyrosys back to red energy. It floated back to one of five Re-Spawn Chambers.

"That's what you get for walking on thin ice!" Krytus insulted. One strong stab was enough to smash the windshield to pieces. Kyburi smiled in wicked glee.

Before he could attack, Vert jumped from behind and pierced through his energy core using his sword. Krytus stopped as his arm reverted back to normal.

"Nice try, but you should think twice before you mess with my friends!" Vert warned.

Krytus reverted to red energy and floated back to his Re-Spawn Chamber. His car vanished.

"Thanks for the help," Agura thanked. "Now I can get an edge in this tug of war! Get Stanford, he's not going to last long out there!"

"Already on it!" Zoom said as he used the Buster's ramp to take off into the air. Agura got back on the ground and grabbed the Venikus. She used the controls and pushed the opposing ATV over the edge. The Venikus smashed the ice, and again, the flash freeze made the vehicle disappear and sent Kyburi back to her Re-Spawn Chamber.

Two accurate sound blasts were enough to make the Vylirex disappear and to send Kytren back to his Re-Spawn Chamber. Zoom and Agura fired Grappling Hooks onto the Reverb and proceeded to pull him to ground. "Slow and steady, you two," Vert told them. "We don't want to hit thin ice."

It took some doing, but the Reverb was taken out of the ice pool.

* * *

The Battle Force Five had gotten through another battle.

The Red Sentients were sent back to their Re-Spawn Chambers.

But the war wasn't over.

Yet the six teenagers sat in silence in their vehicles at the events that occurred what felt like mere moments ago. The fight that broke them up and the realization that they had each other's backs replayed in their heads.

Zoom gave off a small snicker, it then proceeded to laughter. One by one, the others joined in. It helped to get the remainder of their worries away.

But it was over as soon as it began. It was good to have the team back.

"Battle Force Five," Vert said. "Let's go home."


	4. Rabbit Season

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 24: Rabbit Season

In Vert's garage, Stanford started the engine on his car. The engine started up, but died down a few seconds later. He tried again, but still the same result. 'Okay, one more time,' he thought.

He pressed a few buttons that would improve the performance on the car. But they just flashed and didn't do anything. He started the engine again, believing the upgrade worked.

"Oh, **come on** now!" Stanford complained as the Reverb's engine died down for the umpteenth time. He immediately opened the stereo system on the sides. At least that was working. "Vert!" he called into the microphone. "Heelp!"

A few seconds later, Vert ran into his garage. "You don't have to yell, I can hear you just fine," he told him. "What happened?"

"It's the Reverb, I've been having problems starting it all morning," he explained. He tried again. The engine sputtered, and then died down.

"Have you had this problem before?" Vert asked.

"No," he answered.

"Did you not upgrade the Reverb's engine?"

"I've been keeping it in top performance. That includes engine upgrades."

"Step out of the car for a minute. I'm going to take a look at it."

Stanford turned off the Reverb and got out of the car. Vert got out his toolbox and got to work on maintenance.

"Do the other cars have problems like mine?" Stanford asked.

"Well, you're not the only one with this problem. I had to have Sage help fix the Saber because a bunch of rabbits ate through the wires yesterday," Vert explained.

"Rabbits?" Stanford asked in surprise.

"Haven't you heard? The news said that people's cars have had their wires eaten into by rabbits and mice," he explained. "It always affects the newer cars; Zeke's truck was just fine after it was attacked. Grace's car wasn't so lucky. It's back in the shop again," he finished. "I think they should start charging rent," he added with a small giggle.

"Car-eating rabbits!" Stanford said. "Bizarre."

"That's what Sage said to me when I told her the story," he replied. He spotted something off in the car. "Can you get that penlight from my toolbox? I think I found the problem. It's near the wrench."

Stanford looked into his toolbox and found the penlight. He handed it to him. Vert turned the light on and peered inside. Sure enough, he saw that the backings of the wires were eaten into, revealing small copper wires that were taken apart.

"Yep, it's the rabbits again," Vert concluded after looking inside. "I'll put new wires in and ask Sage to reinforce them using her Sentient tech."

* * *

"Infestation still spreading..." Spinner reported as he paced around their shared room. "These rabbits never learned to stop multiplying in their youth."

"We could just ask an expert on how to get rid of them," Sherman told him as he looked up from his laptop.

"And let all my hard work go to waste? Never!" Spinner retorted. "I slaved over a hot stove for those rabbit traps. Besides, I posted how to make them on my blog."

"No one reads your blog," Sherman told him, going back to reading the news. "Besides, those traps won't work. Not even in the cartoons."

Vert knocked on the door to their room. "Come on in," Sherman said.

Vert opened the door. "Hey, guys," he greeted. "Bad news, Spin, those rabbit traps were a bust."

Sherman gave his older brother an "I told you so" look.

"Back to the drawing board," Spinner groaned in disappointment.


	5. Swords Dance

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 25: Swords Dance

"It's like a video game!" Zoom marveled as he, Sherman, and Spinner watched Vert practice.

"I wonder where he gets those moves!" Spinner asked in excitement.

"Vert has gone through a few courses," Zoom told him. "It's like learning English for me; once you get the hang of it, you learn the trade pretty fast."

The three were getting a bit bored of doing their own thing and decided to watch Vert practice with his sword. He received it early on during his time in the Battle Force Five. What really impressed them was the fact that he could execute the more advanced moves with no problems.

Vert leapt, but was caught off guard by a hologram of a Vandal Warrior. He was tackled to the ground, making him drop his blade. A buzzer sounded off, signifying that time's up. The holograms faded. He stood up and wiped the sweat off his face, panting. The three ran to Vert.

"I gotta hand it to Tezz," Vert told Sage as she came into the training room. "He knows what he's doing."

"The combat simulation has proved very effective for you," Sage told him as she recorded his progress. "Some of the earlier techniques you had struggled with prior to Tezz being recruited are now easy for you."

"You learn it on a whim," Vert told her.

"Heads up!" Spinner called as he threw a damp towel at him. Vert caught it and wiped his face.

"Thanks," Vert thanked. "I needed that."

"Pizza's on me tonight, guys," Sherman announced. "You were awesome out there!"

Vert simply raised his hand, requesting some humility. "Next time, I won't fall down as much," he said.

* * *

"Funny, I definitely put it in the Saber," Vert muttered as he looked in the Saber. His sword wasn't there when he decided to get some extra training done before turning in for the night.

He heard footsteps coming into the Hub. Vert turned behind him in the darkened room, but no one was there. No Red Sentients, no Vandals. 'If there were any of these guys, Sage would've sounded the alarm,' he predicted.

A gleam was noticed in his peripheral vision. Lying on the floor a few feet ahead was his weapon. 'There it is!' He went to pick it up. 'Someone must've tried to grab and run.'

Before he could get to it, a foot stepped on the hilt. Vert stopped where he was. The figure had a fencing rapier pointed at him.

"Go ahead," Vert taunted. "I'm unarmed. Pin me down like paper to a bulletin board, you've got the first shot."

The figure lowered his fencing rapier and picked up the other blade. He was able to get it up after some effort, but the weight of the weapon broke the intruder's back. Stanford screamed in agony as he fell down and into the light, dropping the two swords. The others came running in.

"What's all the noise?" Sherman asked.

"Stanford, that's what," Vert explained. "He tried to sneak up on me and attack using a double-edged sword. He broke his back in the process."

"Um…" Zoom began, pointing to the injured Stanford. Vert picked up his weapon with no effort.

"Listen, how do you hold that thing when my back snapped just by picking it up?" Stanford asked, trying to get over his paralysis.

Vert removed his glove and revealed a needle prick on the wrist of his left arm. "DNA," he explained. "That sword only works for me and no one else. Sage works in mysterious ways."

"You've gotta teach me that trick," Spinner told him.

"As the wise Master Takeatsu would say…'no,'" Zoom told Spinner, picking up from his friend, Zen. "'A thousand times, no.'"

"Swords are overrated, anyway!" Stanford exclaimed.

"It works for me," Vert countered. He sheathed the weapon.


	6. Crimson Tint

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 26: Crimson Tint

Time seemed to have stopped.

Unaware that everything had frozen in place back in the present, Vert drove through the Red Sentient home world. Every Red Sentient on the planet was motionless; no energy was present in his scanners.

"Sage's crystal's totally shut this place down," Vert commented as he drove by the quiet area.

A lot of questions raced through Vert's mind. Who was this "Crimson One?" What did Sage and Sherman mean by a battle in the present is determined by a battle in the past? And why was he about to face Zemerik? Wasn't he on his side for now?

'I need to do a little more digging into the war when I return," Vert noted.

He eventually saw the Red Sentient Five come out of a portal through the windshield. Vert kept behind the wall of a building so as not to be seen.

"SAAAGGEEE!"

Anger curdled in the Red Sentient's energy core when he found their fellow Reds frozen. 'My sister will pay dearly for this!' Krytus threatened. Kyburi, Kyrosys, and Krylox approached him.

"Sage did this!" Kyburi assumed angrily.

"With the Double Helix Crystals!" Krytus predicted.

"Double Helix? Like in the prophecy of the Crimson One?" Kyrosys asked.

"The power of the crystals will one day be undone by the deadly steel-clad blades of the fiery Crimson One," Kyburi recited.

"The Crimson One?" Krylox asked.

"That will be me," Krytus pledged. "Now let's find those crystals!"

"Not if I find them first," Vert said. He raced away.

* * *

"The crystals are set to self destruct," Vert whispered. "The odds are against me, no backup, and even if I do get the crystals, my escape looks a bit sketchy."

He soon heard the engine of a Red Sark's car. Vert gasped and ducked back behind the wall. "Whoa!" he gasped when he heard it go by again. "Man, I sound like Stanford," he commented. He tried to get back to his car. "Well, at least I have the element of…"

Bad idea. He bumped into Zemerik, very different from the one he knew. "…surprise?" Vert asked in shock.

"An organic life form," Zemerik deduced.

Vert punched the robot, but this proved to be a bad idea too, for his hand writhed in pain when he hit it. Zemerik picked Vert up. "Identify yourself," Zemerik demanded. "Why are you spying on my master?"

"_Your_ master?" Vert repeated in the form of a question. "Now that's funny."

The robot threw Vert onto the Saber. Vert turned over and saw his sword in his car. Before he can reach it, Zemerik grabbed him by the ankles and started to pull him away from the driver's seat. Vert retaliated and kicked the robot. He grabbed his sword and was about to strike when a white shock hit Zemerik. Vert slid back into the car.

"That must be the virus that Sage uploaded!" Vert realized. "Works for me!"

Vert drove off past a fallen Zemerik. The virus took effect on him, performing measures against Krytus's corruption. The colors on Zemerik's armor inversed: what once was a dull gold was now silver and the red wiring turned blue and grey.

Even the Zelix was affected by the virus: the tires and driver's seat changed to blue. Any traces of Red Sentient programming were blotted out. A crimson tint had changed Zemerik's allegiance.

_New objective: Eliminate all remaining Red Sentients._


	7. Extra Drafts 1 to 3

Author's Note: These are the extra chapters that I was talking about. They're mainly a series of drabbles not unlike GrandOldPenguin's "One Hundred Days of Drabbles" series.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 1: Prayer

Spinner rang the bell situated above the shrine. The six teenagers clapped their hands and offered their prayers.

"I wish for more victories ahead of us," Agura prayed.

"I wish I could kick more Sark and Vandal butt," Zoom wished.

"I wish I could be the leader of the Battle Force-!"

Before he could finish, Agura punched him on the head hard.

"I wish I could drive better on the Reverb…" Stanford wished in pain.

* * *

Extra 2: Hair-Tie

"This is ridiculous…" Agura complained as she tried to tie her hair.

"Need some help, Agura?" Vert asked as he watched her.

"Give it a whirl," she replied.

Vert promptly straightened her hair out and took the band. He put the rubber band on it and proceeded to twist it so that it would hold in place better. "Done!" he said.

Agura looked in the mirror to find her hair the same as when she usually did it. "For a minute, I thought you would mess it up," she admired calmly. "Thanks."

"It's all right," Vert replied. "I watched you do it before."

* * *

Extra 3: Blankets

"_**AACHOO!"**_

"Sherman, keep it down!" Agura yelled from a few rooms down. "We're trying to sleep!"

"Ugh…sorry," Sherman apologized, a bit congested.

It was cold in the Hub so Spinner decided to crawl into Sherman's bed while he was sleeping. But in his sleep, Spinner grabbed the blankets off of him. Sherman woke up to a freezing sensation all over his body, causing him to sneeze loudly. Twice.

"Spinner…" Sherman said, trying to wake his brother. "The blankets, please…"


	8. Breakout

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 27: Breakout

Beeping alerted all six of the teenagers in Zeke's Diner to their watches. They immediately knew who was calling them and ran out of the diner.

As soon as they drove their cars out of the diner, Vert gave the response. "Okay, Sage, we're clear."

"One of the Battle Keys I modified is missing," Sage told him. "And so is Tezz."

"Don't tell me he did the same thing Stanford did!" Agura predicted, remembering when Stanford searched for more information on his ancestor.

"Tezz?" Vert called. "Where is he?"

He soon spotted a copper toned car go into a portal to a Battle Zone. The remaining cars hit the brake. "He did. But I think it's for a different reason," Vert realized. He turned on the communicator. "Sage, do you pick up any aftershocks?" Vert asked.

"I do," Sage answered.

"Bring the Mobi over here, I'm going to go find him and talk to him," Vert told her.

"Affirmative," Sage said. Communication was shut off.

* * *

Tezz punched the wall on the outside of his old bunker in frustration. 'Slackers, all of them!' he thought angrily. 'Don't they realize the Red Sentients are still around?'

When Vert asked him to take a breather from his constant working in the lab, Tezz lashed out at him for not taking the mission seriously. A heated fight ensued, which had to be broken up by Sherman and Agura.

He was overworked, that was what people always said about him. His laser-like focus started in high school when he wanted to sort out all the chaos when the all-boys school he went to became a co-ed class. He worked to not only ensure a safe environment for the students, but gain the trust of the higher-ups. It worked, but he tended to get irritable and exhausted from all the work and responsibility put on him.

He took an interest in particle physics during his college years, going in with High Honors on his report card. But his pride in his smarts and general loner attitude drove him away from having any friends.

During an experiment, the engine and car he created performed an unexpected reaction, bringing him to the Red Sentient Moon, where he later met and joined the Battle Force Five. Even still after getting back to Earth, he was still himself, only a little more at ease with making friends.

Still, they were merely teenagers, goofing around when there wasn't a world to save. Not his style. He punched the wall again.

"There's no one home," a voice reminded him. Tezz turned behind him in surprise to find Vert out of the Saber and approaching him. The former tried to punch him, but was blocked by Vert's hand. "What's the deal?" Vert asked in anger.

"You're the deal, that's what!" Tezz ranted. "You're sitting idly by while the Red Sentients plot their next move!"

"I don't plan that far in advance!" Vert retorted. "Besides, I was worried about you the past few days!"

He let go, starting to calm down. "You're always in that lab of yours or helping Sage," Vert said. "The last time we hung out together was a week ago!"

"I apologize…" Tezz said, guilt starting to sink in. "This is all new to me."

"Isn't everything new to a genius?" Vert asked. "You said you can learn the meaning of friendship to Stanford when you decided to go and help us."

"Yes, but I find it harder than usual to open up to you all. I felt I had to take matters into my own hands when I did things."

"And you want to change that. But you can't just turn over a new leaf overnight. It takes time, and it's a bit frustrating."

"But I'm always the focused one, you should know that, my slightly less intelligent Captain."

Vert rolled his eyes as Tezz gave a determined smile. "Let's go home. We can put the past behind us."


	9. Not Right

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 28: Not Right

He could barely recall anything except for the lingering effects of the anesthetic that was injected in him some time ago. In fact, there was a major gap in his memory. What happened to him? Didn't he look younger earlier before he blacked out? And why were the cuffs around his wrists different?

"Enjoying your stay, my tool?" a voice asked.

"Dad," Vert growled. He didn't think he would stoop _this_ low.

Major Jack Wheeler, leader of the Silencerz, approached him with a needle filled with a white liquid.

"Not quite with it yet, aren't you?" he asked. "This formula improves growth stimulation. Any moment now, you'll become an adult. You'll be at the perfect age to begin phase two of my plan."

"Just one question before you sedate me again," he began, sounding more adult. "Why are you doing this? Weren't you supposed to be helping everyone?"

"Oh, I was," he answered. "But this world will fall to its imperfections one way or another. Such is its fate, the fate of a world ruled by racing."

Vert listened intently at his story. He wanted to know more about this.

"I formed the Silencerz to end racing for good, so this world would survive and be perfect. To this extent, I executed a project to create the Ultimate Driver. The objective was to create someone who can put an end to the defective world of racing once and for all. I just merely needed offspring with my own skills inherited."

"And that would be me," he concluded. "Try all you want, but there's no way I'm following your plan. You thought of me differently and you know it!"

"Shut up, you fool!" he yelled, smacking him repeatedly. "You're a creation, a living doll, and that's all you'll _ever_ be to me!"

He finally stopped. Horror, anger, sadness, and confusion boiled in Vert's blood. The accumulation of emotions triggered another effect of the experimentation, darkening his light blue eyes with a tinge of black.

"Don't deny it!" Vert yelled.

"It's not denial, it's a fact!" Jack snapped.

* * *

Vert woke up in a cold sweat in his room, the words of his now disappeared father ringing in his head. It was still late at night according to the clock.

"Again?" he asked hoarsely, wiping the sweat off of him. "Geez…"

It took a lot of trauma reducing and guidance counseling to get over the experimentation before he could move to a normal life again. Sometimes, nightmares came to him, but he could get over it.

Only this time, it was getting harder to brush the bad memories off.

He didn't want anyone else facing what he went through. It horrified the innocent and warped a person permanently, even if the changes were slight and subtle. All in all, it wasn't right.

That's when he recalled something his father realized and advised before vanishing. "Never lose what makes you yourself," he heard him say, finally accepting the truth. "Even if you believe everybody in the whole world will turn against you, there are friends who can and will stay with you until the end. Remember that…"

"I will," Vert whispered before he lay back down on the bed. One day, he would tell them what happened to him, but for now it would be kept secret.

_**"AACHOO!"**_

As soon as he closed his eyes, the sneeze opened them back up. He heard it again, and realized it was coming from Sherman.

"Sherman, keep it down!" Agura yelled from her room. "We're trying to sleep!"

"Ugh…sorry," Sherman apologized from his own room.

Vert snickered a bit in amusement before drifting off.


	10. Extra Drafts 4 to 6

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 4: Bats!

"Hey, Stanford, where's Agura?" Vert asked as he entered her room with him. Stanford stroked his chin.

"The old bat couldn't come," Stanford presumed.

Fake bats flew over to the two boys and surrounded them. Vert looked around in surprise while Stanford gasped in fear. He looked up to find Agura on a shelf pulling the toys on puppet strings.

"The rest of them sure made it," Vert pointed out as he waved to Agura.

* * *

Extra 5: Furniture

At Zeke's Diner, Spinner and Zoom watched the TV above them as a news reporter told them about reports of furniture turning into monsters.

"That report about furniture is ridiculous!" Spinner scoffed.

"OM-NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM…" a voice munched as it dragged Spinner under the table. He looked under and screamed.

"NO! Get off me!" Spinner panicked as he flailed out of it's grasp. He fell off the table and ran out of the diner. "HEELP! Man-eating table!"

Sherman came out from under there smiling, while Zoom laughed at the prank.

* * *

Extra 6: Suddenly

"Hey!"

Someone tackled Vert down suddenly and pinned him to the ground. He couldn't see the attacker, but knew that he had glowing red eyes.

"Hello, organic," the voice told him.

"Zemerik!" Vert guessed angrily. "What do you want? The Reds are still around."

Zemerik cackled. "Oh, I merely want answers," he began. Sage then revealed herself. "What is Halloween exactly?" she finished.

Vert laughed. "Well, for not knowing Halloween, you got one thing down pat."


	11. Red Masque

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment. "The Masque of the Red Death" is by Edgar Allen Poe

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 29: Red Masque

"Who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him so that we may know who we have to hang at sunrise from the battlements!"

It was in the eastern or blue chamber that Prince Prospero made his command. The words rang throughout all of the seven rooms, for the music had stopped upon the wave of the Prince's hand.

As the prince spoke, the intruder was approaching him. None put forth hand to seize him. He passed within a yard of the prince and made his way through the rooms. First he went through the blue chamber, then the purple, then green, then through the orange, the white, and finally through the violet.

Prince Prospero, enraged, rushed through the six chambers after him. None dared follow on the account of a terror that had rendered them motionless. He bore aloft a dagger, and had approached within a mere three feet of the retreating figure.

Alas, it was a fatal attempt to stop him. The latter had retreated into the velvet apartment. It stopped and turned to confront his pursuer. There was a sharp cry of anguish that rang all around the chamber.

Soon, the dagger dropped down onto the sable carpet. Instantly afterwards dropped the lifeless body of Prince Prospero, for he had succumbed to the Red Death Plague.

* * *

By now, the rest of the Battle Force Five were much immersed in Tezz's storytelling. Even Vert and Agura were starting to quake a little in their shoes. And it didn't help that Tezz put down the flashlight, masking the Cortez brothers' bedroom in total darkness.

The seven of them decided to have a scary story contest to pass the night. They each gave their best tale of woe and dread to horrify the others, but Vert and Agura weren't phased by them. It was only when Tezz decided to tell a story from Poe that got the two a bit nervous.

A figure with glowing red eyes entered the room. The remaining six looked up in fear as it slowly approached Tezz.

"And now was acknowledged of the Red Death," Tezz told them. "He had come like a thief in the night. One by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls…"

"Um, Tezz," Vert interrupted, afraid. "I think we've found the Masque and...!"

"And it's RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Spinner screamed, fully succumbing to the fright that was upon them.

The figure touched his shoulder. "Privet, my friend," Tezz greeted calmly. "I see you are interested in our little competition."

The outline didn't move, nor respond.

"Take cover!" Vert yelled.

Terrified, they all scrambled to hide from the figure that was upon them, knocking down chairs to barricade themselves, and hiding under anything that was able to cover them. Tezz turned on the lights to reveal that Sage had a part in his story to "amuse" the six.

"You were correct in your assumption, Sage," Tezz told her with a devious smile. "You fool them every time."

Everyone else laughed nervously as they got out of their barricades and hiding spots.


	12. Kodak Moment I

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 30: Kodak Moment I

"Heh heh...Sherman's not here," Spinner said as he opened the nightstand drawer. "Time for a little dresser-diving. He's gotta be hiding some video games from me, I know it!"

As Spinner dug into the drawers for any video games he could play while Sherman was gone, he laid his eyes on a neckband. He grabbed it and saw that it was connected to a digital camera covered in what appeared to be plastic.

"It's our old camera!" Spinner exclaimed. Sherman had been given the camera for his birthday when he was a child, but they lost it when they became teenagers. It turns out he did find it, but didn't tell Spinner about that.

He pressed a button on the camera. It turned on and he pointed it to a lamp in their room. He pressed a button on top. The camera beeped, clicked, and saved the photo of the lamp to a memory card in its inner workings.

"All right, it still works!" he exclaimed. The former raced out of the room happily carrying his new form of entertainment.

He had a lot of ideas for pictures to take with it.

* * *

Vert got on the scale after a sign written by Spinner prompted him to do so. He was unaware that Spinner was hiding behind the wall with the camera.

"It's just about the same," he commented after he got the results. Spinner peered out and took the photo.

A few minutes later, Stanford came in, looked at the sign, and got on the scale. Spinner peeked out from behind. Stanford gasped at the results after the scale calculated his current weight.

"I'm ruined!" he lamented. Spinner took the photo holding back his laughter.

Agura came by later, took a good look at the sign, and stepped on the scale after a moment's contemplation. She continued to look at the scale with suspicion as it tallied the result.

"It's clean," she commented after she got the results.

Eyes in the back of her head caught Spinner trying to take a picture of her. "But you're not!" she snapped as she turned around, grabbing a green towel. Spinner panicked and slammed the door shut, just in time for Agura to throw the towel.

Spinner slouched over and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close," he commented. "Now I can sell these on eBay!"

A voice cleared his throat. Spinner looked up to find Sherman rather mad at him. "Oh boy," Spinner gulped. "You heard that, didn't you?"

"I hid that camera after I found it because you took embarrassing pictures and tried to show them to everyone when we were kids," Sherman explained sternly. "I didn't think you'd do it again."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I'll delete the photos! I promise not to touch it again, either!"

He proceeded to delete the photos he took earlier. Sherman shook his head at him. "You can keep the camera," he said, knowing that Spinner was keeping his promise.

"I can?" he asked.

"Yes, you can. But don't do what you did before, both when we were kids and what happened a minute ago."

"I promise!" Spinner agreed, standing up and giving his solemn vow.

"Good," Sherman confirmed with a smile. He watched as Spinner jumped and danced away joyfully out of the room. Sherman spotted that he had his back turned to something that was about to injure him. "Big Bro!" he warned. "Watch out for the-!"

Before he could finish, crashes, bangs, and utterances of pain got Agura, Vert, and Stanford's attention in the next room.

"You okay?"

"Oh, agony! A-go-ny…"

"That's what I call dancing 'till you drop!"

"Watch your step next time."

"Stairs…" Sherman finished, cringing at the accident. He went to the next room.


	13. RomiJuli

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment. Romeo and Juliet is by William Shakespeare

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 31: RomiJuli

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound," Juliet, played by Agura, inquired. "Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?"

"Neither, fair Saint, if either thee dislike," Romeo, played by Vert, answered.

"How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?" she asked as he climbed up to where she was. "The orchard walls are hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art if any of my kinsman find thee here."

A few days ago, Zeke was directing a play of Romeo and Juliet and tonight was the one-time only show. He assigned parts randomly to all customers in his diner. Even Grace got a role in playing Juliet's attendant, the Nurse.

There were a few complications before and during rehearsal. Agura got the part of Juliet, to her dismay. When asked why she didn't want the part, she said that she disliked the fact that she had to wear a dress, and people teased her back home for not being ladylike. Zeke told her the dresses weren't going to be a problem, but he and Stanford offered to teach her how to act like a proper lady. From what Vert saw during the play, the lessons went well.

Stanford also had a problem with his role. He was casted as…a tree. He had hoped to be Romeo, but that wasn't in Zeke's plan, for a customer had thought of Vert and Agura as a couple with perfect compatibility. The majority voted, and he was stuck in front of the balcony wearing a tree costume.

"Lady," Romeo began. "I swear by yonder blessed moon, that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops…"

"O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable," Juliet interrupted.

"What shall I swear by?"

"Do not swear at all. Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I'll believe thee."

"If my heart's dear love…"

A tickle ran up Stanford's nose and his breathing started to become irregular. Zoom, who was watching from backstage in his Tybalt costume, pointed this out to the other four members of his team.

"Oh boy, if he sneezes…" Sherman began.

"Pleeease don't sneeze and ruin the moment," Spinner begged.

Stanford got the cue early on and started to try and hold it in. This struggle lasted until the scene ended with Romeo exiting stage right.

* * *

The interlude came and Stanford had held his sneeze in until he could jump backstage after Scene Two of Act II.

"That was a close one," Agura noted.

"Yes, that would've been embarrassing indeed," Stanford said. "But it's done and I managed to save the show!"

Agura rolled her eyes as he bragged about his accomplishment. "Is there a mute button on him?"

As Vert was looking around backstage for his other friends, he bumped into Stanford. This made him lose his balance and drop the branches he was holding for the past two hours. "Timber!" Spinner yelled as Stanford fell flat on his face.

"I've fallen and I can't get up," Stanford winced.

"My bad!" Vert apologized as he looked down. "Didn't see you there."

"Oh don't worry about it, Montague," Agura assured winking. "Besides, if that car inventor plan of yours fails, you'll at least get a job as a lumberjack."

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Stanford complained, irritated. "A real hoot. Now please pick me up! I need to get my musician costume on for the wedding turned funeral!"

The others laughed as they propped Stanford back up.


	14. Extra Drafts 7 to 9

Author's Note: The last few chapters didn't go so well, let's hope these extras make up for it in spades.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 7: Five 'o Clock and…

"Five 'o clock and all is well!" Sever announced as he rang the gong. "Five 'o clock and all is well! Five 'o clock and-!"

Sever laid his eyes on a sundial Hatch's relative set up the first time his kind established Planet Vandal. He soon realized he was off by a half hour.

"Four thirty and all is well!" Sever corrected as he resumed ringing the gong. "Four thirty and all is well!"

* * *

Extra 8: Hats and Ends

"An explosion at a hat factory?" Zeke asked himself as he read the newspaper. "Well, shoot my dog and call me Sally!" he exclaimed. "'Reports say that hats are falling all over Ari-?'"

Before he could finish, many hats ranging from caps to sombreros to top hats fell onto his pickup truck. "Trucketta!" he exclaimed in delight. "Don't you look fancy?"

A silver hard hat fell on his head. He took it off and looked at it with curiosity.

* * *

Extra 9: Jettison

"Let's see…" Sherman began as he got the news on his laptop. "'A Charter Flight carrying the London Symphony Orchestra was forced to jettison some of the musical instruments."

A crash rang out from outside. The Cortez brothers looked out the window to find that a piano had been ejected from an airplane and onto the Saber.

"Can they not drop it on one of our rides?" Spinner asked. "Vert's not gonna be happy about this…"


	15. Bass, Soprano

Author's Note: I recommend listening to "According to You" by Orianthi before you read this. It would help you while you read this Data Draft.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment. "According to You" is by Orianthi.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 32: Bass, Soprano

"I always love the weekends. It's that time again!"

"Band Night!"

"Who's playing guitar?"

"I call it!"

"I'm singing this time!"

"I got the drums!"

It was Band Night on Friday, which meant that the six teenagers gathered around the living room to play games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Vert started up the game console with everyone watching in happiness.

Tonight, Stanford got the turn to sing first. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the one and only Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV about to perform one of the greatest hits in music history!" he announced. "Watch me now, you two," he told the two sitting out. "Let me show you how it's done!"

Agura sighed. Stanford was a horrible singer and she didn't like it. When they went to perform, she always chose to play an instrument, not sing. Vert and Stanford had hoped to hear her sing, but she always remained the wallflower at Band Night. Vert took a seat next to her as the four boys tried to choose a song.

"Hey, Agura?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Don't you like singing?"

"Not too much. Plus, Stanford's doing it, so…"

Vert laughed.

"I'm just waiting for the right moment, Vert," she told him. "Don't worry about it."

"I dedicate this to the lady in the back!" Stanford announced.

'I think he just likes me for something,' Agura thought as she shook her head. 'But I don't want to be a domestic robot.' The music started and the two listened to the current four players perform.

* * *

_According to you I'm stupid, I'm useless  
I can't do anything right  
According to you I'm difficult, hard to please  
Forever changing my mind_

The music came from the living room as Vert looked up from the garage. 'Is that Agura?' he asked himself in surprise. He dropped the toolbox he was holding and ran out into the living room.

_I'm a mess in a dress, can't show up on time  
Even if it would save my life  
According to you, according to you_

His running stopped when he saw Agura on vocals in Rock Band for the first time. He always wanted to hear her sing.

Agura never thought the moment would come when she fell in love. Where she used to live, girls looked up to her for her bravery, and boys found her an intimidating figure with her tomboyish traits and love of off-road races.

Stanford had some feelings for her after they helped each other in the Ice Battle Zone, but it was Vert she was interested in. She hoped to get his attention through song.

It was working. Vert listened to her with satisfaction. 'This was what she meant.'

_But according to him I'm beautiful, incredible  
He can't get me out of his head  
According to him I'm funny, irresistible  
Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite, I don't feel like stopping it  
So baby tell me what I got to lose  
He's into me for everything I'm not  
According to you_


	16. Wiener Roast Express

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 33: Wiener Roast Express

When Spinner offered to treat the rest of his team for lunch, he didn't expect to hit any snags along the way. Like the fact that he had trouble starting the barbeque grill. And also the fact that the hot dogs were nearing their expiration date.

"Come on, come on!" Spinner complained as he tried to start the grill. "These hot dogs are gonna expire in…" He gasped when he looked in back of the package. "Five and a half minutes!" he wept.

"We could just by new ones!" Sherman offered. Vert gave a slight nod, a little impatient at how long he was taking.

"And waste food? Never!" Spinner rebuffed.

An alarm sounded off outside. One of the Red Sentient Five was spotted in a Battle Zone. Spinner tried again to start the machine while the others went to the Hub to get their vehicles, but moaned when he couldn't start it.

"Wait up!" he called, taking the wieners along with him.

* * *

As the Buster Tank tried not to get squashed by pistons of metal cylinders, Kyrosys and his Synthrax were hot on their tails, firing wheels of fire at them.

But while Sherman was trying to stay out of the path of the fire wheels, Spinner had other things on his mind.

"Thirty seconds and its hasta la vista weenies!" Spinner groaned as he looked at the back of the package.

"Bro, we're in a combat zone!" Sherman lectured as he dodged more flame wheels. "A very _hot_ combat zone!" he added, emphasizing hot.

This gave Spinner a very clever idea.

The top of the tank opened and he stuck a rotisserie with the meat on it out of one of the holes. As soon as a wheel of fire approached it, it cooked the hot dogs to peak temperature.

"Woo! Buurn baby burn!" he sung in glee.

The Buster sped ahead to an opening. Kyrosys fired another flaming wheel. The Saber rammed the vehicle into the Synthrax, leaving the Red Sentient to the might of the pounding pistons.

"Nice job, Spinner," Vert congratulated. "Leave no hot dog behind!"

All five vehicles went through the portal back to earth, this time with a victory meal coming along with them. The portal was sealed shut.


	17. Kodak Moment II

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 34: Kodak Moment II

"One, two, three, jump!" Vert signaled.

_Click!_

"Epic fail," Zoom noted. "I didn't get high enough."

After Spinner's fall down the stairs, he checked the digital camera and found that it was undamaged. Vert, Stanford, and Agura helped him up and get the camera.

A few days later, Spinner was taking group shots of the team. Vert suggested that he get a picture with all of them together. This gave Spinner an idea to get a stop-motion shot.

"Why are we taking this again?" Stanford asked impatiently.

"Memories, Stanford," Spinner told him. "Me-mor-ies."

Stanford was struggling to get high enough to meet the group's height. He was also not happy with the idea that he had to jump with the group. He always liked being the center of attention after all.

"He's got a point," Vert agreed. "This town's quite small, who knows what could happen to it."

"It's been a big target for demolishing in chain store companies who want to expand," Sherman explained. The others murmured in agreement.

"Guys, this has been on my mind for a while," Spinner asked. "A few years from now, how exactly do you see yourselves?"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise, and then thought about their answer.

* * *

"Hey, Spin?" Sherman asked as they all lay down on the ground.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why'd you ask that?"

"I…don't know what I want to do next."

Everyone looked at him, some of them sitting up.

"I've got no clue about my future plans," he explained. "I've been thinking of going into the video game business, but I also want to help Sherman with computer and graphic design. Then again, there's always science…"

He groaned as he rubbed his head, now with a headache. "It's too confusing!" he complained.

"If it helps, Spin," Zoom told him. "I was trying to choose a college before coming here."

"Really?" Spinner asked.

"I want to move on with my life after graduating from high school, but I didn't know where to go, even after getting my motorcycle license." he explained.

"See?" Vert asked. "We may be a squad that's fighting to protect the Multiverse, but we're still teenagers. We're going into a new world and making a transition, it's bound to be filled with uncertainty."

"That's true," Spinner agreed.

"Now where were we?" Sherman asked.

"Oh right, the group shot!" Spinner realized. "Places, please! Get ready to jump for the sky!"

Everyone else stood back up and took their places. "This is gonna be great!" Zoom exclaimed.

"Yeah, but this is the last photo," Spinner notified worriedly as he set the timer. "We've only got one shot to make this right!"

"Dude, relax," Zoom assured as Spinner put the camera down. "One shot's all we need."

"I hope so," Spinner hoped. He got in position.

"Last shot, guys. Let's make it count." Vert told them. "One, two, three!"

_Click!_

As soon as he landed on the ground, Spinner went to the camera and checked the archive. "Perfect!" Spinner exclaimed after seeing the photo.


	18. Grade

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 35: Grade

_Thump!_

"Ow!" Stanford moaned after he bumped into the Reverb. After another Battle Zone win, the team unfortunately came home to a darkened Hub. While they were gone, there was a power outage in Handler's Corners. According to the news, it was bound to last until the early evening.

"I hate the dark…" Spinner whimpered.

"And I hate it when I can't get things done!" Agura complained as she tried to find the Fusion Wrench. "Vert, Sherman, how's the backup generator?" she called.

"Working on it!" Vert replied a few rooms down. Vert volunteered to help Sherman with the backup generator down in the Hub. "Power will be back up soon!"

"Hey, Stanford, turn on the Reverb and put the news on for a minute. Usually, the political stuff occurs at this time," Spinner told him as he peeked out of the Buster's hatch.

"After Election Day, it would be fresh air to see if anyone got a clue," Stanford said. "I'm not used to America's ruling system."

"You'll get used to the democracy thing," Zoom told him. Stanford started up the Reverb and turned on the radio. He adjusted the dial and soon turned to the station they were looking for.

"Right there!" Agura said. Stanford let go of the dial.

"…'over the course of two years we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that, we stopped paying attention to the fact that leadership isn't just legislation. That it's a matter of persuading people. And giving them confidence and bringing them together. And setting a tone,' the president admitted in an interview set to premiere Sunday in 60 Minutes,'" the reporter announced on the radio. "But for some, it's not the messaging. It's action."

"Hold everything!" Agura suddenly announced. "Turn that radio off."

"But I thought you said you wanted this station!" Stanford protested.

"Stanford!" Vert yelled from a few rooms down.

"Fine, fine," he relented. He shut the radio off.

* * *

Vert sighed as he turned away. "I think I'll age over early," he predicted.

"What do you mean?" Sherman asked.

"They say U.S. Presidents age twice as fast as normal people," Vert explained. He stretched out. "But if this keeps up, I probably won't live to 50."

"Vert, the flashlight," Sherman reminded him, having gotten his work area darkened over all of a sudden.

"Sorry," he apologized. He pointed the light at the keyboard. "Anyway, you think I'm doing a good job?"

"Huh?" he asked, not getting the last bit of the question.

"I mean how would you grade me in leadership?" Vert asked. "Because I think I seem to be slipping."

"You've still got an A," Sherman told him. "At least you know how to keep us in line."

"What about Agura?"

"She does a good job, but it's only when the situation calls for it," he explained. "And Stanford's got his own moments of leadership, but I think he just goes in over his head."

Vert laughed at this. "Hang on, I think this is…" Sherman muttered as he typed something in. A chime rang out, signaling activation. "Yes!"

He finally found the right password and the backup generator finally activated after all those attempts. Cheers came from a few rooms above them as the electricity came back on.

"You can get out of the Mobi now, Sage," Vert told her through communicator. "We got the generator up and running."

"Thank you," she replied back on her end.

"How long do you think this generator will run?" Vert asked.

"Hopefully until the power comes back on in Arizona," Sherman said. "But I can't guarantee anything."


	19. Selbit Sawing

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 36: Selbit Sawing

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" Zeke announced as he entered the stage. "We've still got many more acts for you, so hang on to your hats! But for now, stretch your legs, help yourselves to some treats, and come back in about an hour."

The audience got up and left as the lights faded back on.

Zeke put together a talent show one day to "bring back memories of my olden days". Stanford signed up for the Talent Show, but didn't tell the rest of the team what he was doing.

Backstage, Vert was getting guitar lessons from Zoom, who took up the instrument a few days ago. "Someone! Is there anyone who can help me with my act?" Stanford asked as he looked around.

The two looked to find Stanford in traditional magician's garb: white shirt, black pants, black coat with tails, black shoes with white laces, and a top hat on his hand.

"Dude, what's with the suit?" Zoom asked. "You're going to tap dance for your act?"

"This is a magician's uniform," Stanford countered. "I'm using it for my sawing a woman in half act! But there's a problem, though."

"No saw?" Vert asked.

"No lady!" Stanford corrected. "The lasses I asked backstage rejected my offer, I obviously can't use Sage, Grace is too scared to go on, and when I asked Agura…"

Stanford turned his head to reveal a large red slap mark on his left cheek. Both Vert and Zoom cringed at the hand imprint.

"So I'm stuck," Stanford summarized as he turned his head back to them. "And my act's right after the intermission."

Zoom stroked his chin.

"Can I saw Spinner in half for my act?" Stanford asked.

Spinner screamed like a girl upon hearing this.

"I was only kidding!" he told him.

"Good!" Spinner replied, now pale as a ghost. "I'm Hemophobic!"

"I'll get a lady for you!" Zoom said. Vert removed the guitar from around his neck and gave it back to Zoom. "You know what they say, the show must go on!" he called as he ran off.

* * *

"And now, the amazing Stanford Houdini Rhodes!" Zeke announced.

The crowd applauded and the curtains opened. Stanford was onstage by a box.

"Stanford!" Zoom called from backstage. "I got a lady for you!"

"Is she beautiful?" he asked.

"No, but she's willing!" he replied. Agura pushed a robot with cylindrical features wearing a wig to the stage. This was the robot used during the first half of the Talent Show.

"You sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

"Oh, he'll get a real charge out of it!" Zoom said with confidence.

Agura rolled her eyes as she pushed the robot to Stanford. She left the stage.

"Thank you, Agu-!" he began before stopping short. "This is a lady?" he questioned in shock.

_"This is a magician?"_ the robot asked the audience. The crowd laughed in amusement.

"Well, let's get this show on the road," he replied. "Into the box!"

Stanford promptly directed the robot to the box and opened it. He tried to lift it up upon realizing it moved on wheels. "Notice how…my assistant…" he struggled. "…doesn't need…assistance!"

"Speed it up, will ya?" Zeke asked. Stanford finally got the robot into the box and positioned it right.

"This is ridiculous!" he muttered. He shut the box. "All right, sawing a…woman in half!"

Stanford took out the saw and began to cut the box in half with it. But as soon as he neared the robot's metal body…

"Watch the main power cables!" Zeke warned from backstage.

"Say what?" he asked, unable to hear him from the sawing.

_Bzzzzap!_

**"AAAAHAAA!"**

As soon as the saw cut the main wire, the metal conducted electricity straight to Stanford, giving him a nasty shock. The robot exploded, and the shocking soon stopped. Stanford, now with his hair stuck up from the shock, collapsed, letting go of the now stuck saw.

"Stanford!" Vert called as their friends rushed to him.

"I said he was going to get a charge out of it," Zoom bemoaned. "But that wasn't what I meant."

"Close the curtain!" Sherman yelled. They did so.


	20. Extra Drafts 10 to 12

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 10: To the Colors

The crowd cheered as Vert began to wrap up his speech. The rest of the Battle Force 5 was standing aside from the podium, with Vert on it.

"We've been cheated, swindled, and rendered broke all these years. Not any longer!" Vert rallied. "Get ready to show the world that we're not to be trifled with! And come November, we're gonna crash and bash America like never before!"

The crowd yelled out in determination and held up their fists and signs. They called for freedom, saving the U.S.A., and restoring honor.

* * *

Extra 11: Remembrance

Vert placed a bouquet of Rosemary flowers upon a wooden gravestone. His eyes darkened in color.

"It's changing now," he said. "It depends on whether I activate fusion or think positive, but I can see my light blue eyes again after so long. The whole thing reminds me of the sky, ever changing but staying the same. One day, I'll go up there, and see you again after so long."

He left the grave and walked away to go back home. Inscribed on the tombstone were the words: "In loving memory, Nolo Pasaro."

* * *

Extra 12: Assault

The rest of the team gained looks of shock as they saw a wrecked bedroom. In the corner was Vert, huddled and shuddering. He was stripped down to his boxers, there were gashes on his chest, and he was on the verge of crying.

Agura sniffed the residue on the floor. "What happened?" Zoom asked, concerned.

Agura took a deep breath. She needed to try not to let her emotions get to her.

"Someone broke into Vert's room," she explained. "The attacker grabbed him off his bed and threw him down. He tried to fight back and shield himself, but the other guy…proved too much for him. He pinned Vert down, tore his clothes right off, and…and…"

Vert said something weakly that was caught by Sherman. "What'd he say?" Spinner asked.

"'He tried to rape me,'" Sherman translated in a dark tone.


	21. Cursed Word

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 37: Cursed Word

A chime rang out on television screens around Handler's Corners. The black screen was replaced with a set of a news room. "Here is a Pit Stop News Flash!" the announcer said.

A male news reporter of fair build, brown hair and eyes, and wearing a plaid brown jacket and black pants came in with a sheet of paper to the set. "Dateline, Egypt," the announcer reported. "Archeologists today discovered an ancient tomb more than 5,000 years old in the Nile Valley. One of the inscriptions over the tomb warned that the crocodile god Odetasb Eloc..."

He looked the camera in the eye. "That's O-det-sab E-loc," he repeated so that they could pronounce it right. He looked back to her paper.

"...would wreak a terrible vengeance on anyone who entered the tomb or even said his name aloud," he finished.

He put the paper down and turned to the director, unaware that a large crocodile was coming in to pounce on him. "Listen, that's a very ridiculous story," he complained to the director. "I don't know anyone who'll believe-!"

He heard a roar behind him. The reporter turned behind him to find the crocodile. The reptile trapped the reporter in its jaws and proceeded to try and eat him alive.

* * *

Agura looked behind her to hear footsteps coming into the diner. Spinner rushed in and took a seat behind the bar. "Agura! Agura! It's horrible! My worst nightmare has come to life!" Spinner yelled.

"Let me guess, there's a stain one of your Premium Collection figures," Agura quipped.

"No!" Spinner answered angrily. "Something horrible happened when I watched the news! The reporter warned everyone not to say this word before his demise!" he notified in fear.

"Go ahead," she said skeptically.

"It's Od..." he began, trying to pronounce it. "O-dee...o-da...o-dia..." he thought. "Why can't I get the name right?" he asked himself in frustration.

At that moment, Sherman came in with a slip of paper in hand. "There you are, Bro!" he said as he went to sit down. "You ran off on me all of a sudden after that news report ended!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to spread the word!" Spinner apologized.

"Well, I figured you'd have trouble getting the name right, so I wrote it down for you," Sherman told him as he took out a piece of paper.

"Thank you!" Spinner said as he took it.

"Can I see that for a minute?" Agura asked. Spinner showed her the paper. "Let's see, it says 'Odestab...' MMPH! MMPH!" Agura read before being interrupted by Spinner covering her mouth. Agura pulled his hand off of her face. Sherman took a seat.

"I know you don't want to see me hurt, but can you do it in a less invasive way?" she asked angrily.

"Sorry," Spinner apologized again nervously. "Overreacted."

The now battered news reporter rushed in and climbed onto the bar, getting everyone's attention. "I bet you thought he was going to say 'Odesab Eloc' did you?" he announced. Spinner looked at the floor and gasped at what was coming.

"Well, after what I've been through, I-oh no, not agAAAINN!" he screamed as the crocodile that got him before claimed his victim and tackled him under the bar. Spinner ran for the table Agura was sitting at. Chomping noises could be heard, and after a moment, died down.

"Grace, where are my body bags?" Zeke asked after he looked at the mess.

"That could've been you..." Spinner said shakily.

Agura nodded as Zeke got to work cleaning up.


	22. Upon Themselves

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 38: Upon Themselves

"Over here," Vert whispered.

The Battle Force Five gathered around the top floor and looked down at the bottom floor. Below them was Sage, working on a message to the future.

The threat of the Red Sentient Five prompted Sage to realize that they may be too strong, even with their Fusion technology. She needed to do something should the Battle Force Five fall in battle and Krytus succeeded in freeing the rest of his people.

She put together a compilation of past victories of the Battle Force Five and activated a voice recording program. Should they need to reveal themselves to the world and learn the truth of their actions, it would help as well.

She put the final touch on the compilation and pressed the record button.

"To those who have stumbled upon this lair," she began. "If you are seeing this message, the Blue Sentient race is lost. As are the Battle Force Five."

* * *

The compilation film began with each team member getting their Battle Suits and vehicles. It then showed the various missions of the team and the Sark and Vandal races.

"Over the last year, we have successfully defended Earth from the Vandal Warriors and the Sark Empire."

It then displayed each of the awakenings of the Red Sentient Five. First Krytus being freed from his crystal, then one by one, the freeing of his team from their stasis chambers. Kytren, Kyburi, Kyrosys, and Krylox.

"But now we are facing our greatest opponent. Krytus, my twin brother. He is the leader of the five Red Sentient warriors: Kytren, Krylox, Kyburi, and Kyrosys."

As she said each member's name, the abilities of the five Red Sentients were displayed. The compilation switched to Sage creating fusions for all of the vehicles. Three of them were then shown, the SkyKnife, the SonicSlash, and the SmashClaw.

"I have been developing a fusion technology that will combine the greatest assets of our vehicles in battle. The result is a hybrid much greater than the sum of its parts."

* * *

Vert and the team went to the platform. It lowered down to the bottom floor where Sage was. If this war was to be won, it would be done so upon themselves.

"Warriors of the future, you must use the Fuzor and defeat Krytus," she finished.

"Sage," Vert said. She turned to find all eight members gathered up as the platform lowered.

"We will _never_ let you down," he vowed. "This war ends with _us._"

"Delete entry," Sage affirmed, pressing a button. The compilation and message were erased. "We will not fail."

"Let's do this!" Vert rallied. The other five humans cheered.


	23. Extra Drafts 13 to 15

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 13: Thrill of Victory

Stanford groaned while Spinner cheered at the results of the World Series. The San Francisco Giants had won against the Texas Rangers three scores to one.

"Pay up!" Spinner told him cheering. "The Giants win the Pennant!"

Stanford took out his wallet. "Double or nothing next World Series?" he asked.

"You're on!" Spinner accepted with a determined look.

* * *

Extra 14: Pull Start

"Tezz, you really know what you're doing," Zoom said as he gripped the handle. "When Spinner said he wanted a motor scooter, he got it."

"Thank you very much," Tezz thanked.

Zoom gave the cord a good tug. The engine started up, but the scooter suddenly sped off all the way to the door of Vert's garage. Agura tackled Vert out of the way in time for the collision. The other boys stopped short at the crash site.

"Madam, Captain," Tezz began after he looked at them. "You are very lucky people."

* * *

Extra 15: C'est la Guerre!

"Come on, come on! Start!" Vert said in frustration as he tried to get the Saber to move.

Nothing. First he got warped to Planet Vandal, and then Kalus decides to pick up where he left off after Vert got away from him. Now he was chasing him down and he was using every trap in the book.

The fall off the wooden bridge wrecked the Saber's engine. Vert was unharmed, but pissed.

'Of course you realize, this means war!' Vert thought angrily.


	24. Memorial

Author's Note: Written for Veterans Day and in honor of the troops.

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 39: Memorial

One last dab of red ink and the flag was done.

Today, Vert learned that his father had died while he was gone. He had learned through his mother that he had chosen to find forgiveness for his sin. Unfortunately, his choice was suicide, for he felt that he had failed everyone, even his brother, who died in a racing accident long ago.

A knock came to the door. "Vert!" Zoom called. "Are you coming?"

"Be right out," Vert told him. He took the finished flag and went out the door. "Let's head for the memorial, guys."

"I've got my tribute ready, too," Zoom confirmed. "I'm ready to go."

"I'm coming along just to pay respects for our allies," Stanford said. "The British and the Americans have quite a history together."

"Seems we've all got reasons for attending the memorial today," Vert noted. "Let's go."

They all got in their vehicles and loaded up their presents. The vehicles drove away from the Hub and left for another state.

* * *

As the orchestra played the National Anthem, everyone placed their treasures onto the graves of the soldiers who fought to protect America.

"So your Grandpa was present for the Pearl Harbor attack?" Vert asked.

"He was visiting America when the planes flew over the area," Zoom explained. "Your Dad was in a war, too?"

"The Cold War started when he was only a kid," Vert recalled. "It ended a couple of years after I was born."

"You've got his leadership skills," Agura commented.

"Thanks," Vert thanked.

The two teenagers placed flowers and Vert's flag drawing on their relatives's graves. They stepped aside and over into the audience as the anthem ended. The Governor of Arizona was ready to give her speech.

"Honor. Courage. Dignity. The soldiers who gave their lives to America understood these virtues when they signed up and were recruited to the military," she began. "From World War I to World War II to Operation: Iraqi Freedom, they stepped in to defend America from threats to our freedom."

"Do not think of this as a tribute. Think of this as a legacy that will be carried on by those who show the will to protect. Not only soldiers help the world, but you and I help as well. We are all heroes to the world, and we all show a potential for heroism. This is also acknowledgement for us and for them, those alive and those deceased."

"We are the land of the free because of the brave. God bless the soldiers," she finished.

"God bless the soldiers," the audience repeated.

"A salute!" the governor called. They saluted.

"Aim!" a general commanded. The soldiers pointed their guns to the sky. "Fire!" he signaled.

All twenty one rifle shots rang out and echoed into the sky.


	25. Remodeling

Author's Note: After getting some new ideas, I can finally close the book on this part of the Data Draft Series. Depending on which way the wind blows for the show, there may be a third series.

Disclaimer: The _Hot Wheels_ series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Draft 40: Remodeling

Sherman put some wooden boards down on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief from the labor. "Hey, how many holes do we have to patch up again?" Spinner asked.

"There are only four of them on the walls," Tezz replied while looking at some blueprints. He reviewed the blueprints to the garage. Using his gauntlet, he brought a toolbox to him through electromagnetism.

"If we can get this done before Vert comes back, he'd think nothing happened while he was gone," Spinner said.

"I still think we should tell him," Agura suggested.

"Madam, what he does not know will not hurt him," Tezz assured. "Okay?"

"Fine," she complied.

Agura heard a truck drive into the garage. The GearSlammer drove in with a wrecking ball on its back crane. "I'm ready for remodeling!"

Spinner panicked at the sight of A.J.'s tool for the job. "Be! Careful! With that wrecking ball!" he warned. "Its rope looks ready to break!"

"This isn't a major scale construction job," Agura told him. "We're only just going to make some repairs to the wall and ceiling."

"Why?" he asked.

"Sir, one of Sage's inventions went haywire and pierced some holes in the wall," Tezz explained. "Grounding error," he added, shaking his head.

"Oh, I see," A.J. nodded. He restarted the car. Agura soon saw the elephant in the room on the crane. "A.J.!" Agura yelled. "The rope on the wrecking ball!"

"Say what?" he asked as he made a U-turn.

"The rope, Sir!" Tezz alerted. "It's about to-!"

_Snap!_

"Bohza moi!" Tezz exclaimed in fear as he ran away.

"Look out!" Sherman yelled as he tackled Spinner out of the way.

"Whoa!" Agura screamed as she made a break for her vehicle.

_**SMASH!**_

Agura gasped as the wrecking ball fell down from its hook and crushed the Saber under its weight. A.J. got out and stood there dumbfounded. The Cortez brothers looked at one another in fear. If Vert wasn't happy about a piano dropping down and wrecking his car this morning, he wouldn't be happy about this.

"…uh oh…" A.J. cringed.

* * *

After hurriedly fixing the walls, Sherman got out a phonebook as Vert came in. "Place your hand on the book," Spinner instructed.

"Is this sort of thing really necessary?" A.J. asked. "And with the Yellow Pages, too?"

"It's something of a ritual of ours for keeping secrets," Sherman answered.

"That so? Might as well do it the formal way," A.J. remarked. He placed his hand on the book and raised his other hand.

"Do you solemnly swear to never tell Vert about the dropped wrecking ball on his Saber?" Spinner asked.

"Erm…"

The five turned behind them to find a surprised Vert. He regained his composure and slowly walked away into the garage.

"What were they _thinking?_ I only said to patch up some holes in the garage!" Vert ranted angrily from inside. "And now the Saber's trashed again! WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

"What's with him?" A.J. asked.

"A piano dropped onto his Saber earlier," Agura explained. "True story."


	26. Extra Drafts 16 to 18

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by the Mattel Toy Company, "Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 16: Bedspring

Zeke backed away in surprise as Vert and Agura in their Romeo and Juliet costumes, respectively, suddenly fell into the back of his Pickup Truck.

"What are you youngsters doing in costume?" Zeke asked as they recovered.

"We went to pick up the stuff for your play a few days ago," Vert explained as he sat up.

"As soon as we touched the bed, it ejected us over here," Agura finished.

* * *

Extra 17: Soundproof?

Stanford thought his hearing returned after the portal crossing. To his surprise, he found that he couldn't hear anyone at all!

"Blimey!" Stanford exclaimed. "I can hear myself, but I can't hear you lot!"

The sound of an engine starting made him jump. Stanford turned behind him to find Vert with his patched-up car.

"Fixed it!" Vert said.

The others laughed at his surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny!" Stanford complained.

* * *

Extra 18: Loose Tires

As soon as Agura started the ATV up, two of the tires suddenly fell off the vehicle and onto the Hub floor. Agura, having been jostled to surprise, shut off the engine and got out to inspect the outside of the vehicle. She clenched her fist at the thought of being the victim of a prank. And it wasn't even April 1st!

"When I find the wise guy who unscrewed the tires off the Tangler...!" Agura threatened as she stomped away.


	27. Battle Zone Demolition Derby

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by Mattel. Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 5: Battle Zone Demolition Derby

As Zeke drove through the canyons of Arizona, he was looking at a map. He was going to a Monster Truck Rally in town today, but was, unknown to him, a bit lost.

He got even more lost, however, when he went through an aftershock that warped him to the Junkyard Zone. "Biggest, baddest Monster Truck Rally _ever_?" Zeke questioned as he stopped the truck. "I'll be the judge of that."

He looked over to the factory that lay ahead. "Huh," he shrugged. "Stadium looks better than last year, I guess..."

While he gave his thoughts on the décor, the Battle Force Five's vehicles came to a stop a few feet away. "How'd Zeke get into the Zone?" Vert asked, both surprised and confused.

"He must have accidentally driven through a portal aftershock," Sherman predicted. He spotted Red Sark in their Zentner vehicles coming to the unarmed vehicle. "Uh oh!"

"Red Sark at twelve 'o clock!" Spinner warned.

"We gotta get him out!" Vert instructed. He hit the gas and took out the oncoming Red Zentners. Sherman spotted one coming to the run down vehicle, so he had the Buster ram it aside.

The crash from a Zentner throwing awoke the mechanized Guard Dog asleep in a junk pile. Zeke watched on, getting more and more excited at the demolition derby he had a front-row seat to.

The dog made a lunge for the Saber, but the animal cyborg was too slow for it's speed. Vert spotted Krytus in the Syfurious headed for the Truck. "Buster, Tangler, trash duty!" Vert alerted.

The two vehicles sped ahead of the truck. "Unite!" Agura began.

She fired the Fuzor up ahead and the two vehicles went through the portal. They merged together to form the SmashClaw that came out on the other end.

"And Strike!" the three finished.

The vehicle picked up the Syfurious and tossed it into another trash heap. It, however, was rammed away by the Synataur. Krylox had decided to join the fray after a match with the Reverb and the Chopper. The mecha dog pounced on the vehicle and stopped it in its tracks.

"This isn't a monster truck rally..." Zeke began in happiness. "It's the biggest, baddest Monster Truck Rally _ever_!" he cheered. But his joy was short lived, for he passed out due to all the excitement. The SmashClaw picked up the truck.

"Let's jet before he wakes up," Vert instructed. He looked at his sleeping face and gave off a small "heh" in amusement. The SmashClaw drove for the portal.

"He'll want the dog's autograph," he commented before following them, leaving Krylox to be the dog's chew toy. The portal was sealed shut.


	28. Like a Movie?

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by Mattel. Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 6: Like a Movie?

"Take off at the speed of sound..." Spinner sung as he washed himself in the shower. "Bright lights, colors all around. I'm running wild, living fast and free. Got no regrets inside of me..."

After the hair blob incident, the showers were free to be used again. Spinner wasted no time jumping in after his latest frazzle in the Battle Zone, where he nearly became dog food in the Junkyard Zone.

"Not looking back...not giving up...not letting go, I'll keep on running!"

A figure opened the door and slowly approached the curtain. He took out something from his pocket and put it in his other hand.

"I'm gonna reach for the stars! Although, they look pretty far...I'm gonna find my own way. And take a..."

Spinner began to feel something off as his singing cut short. He turned to the shadow and gasped.

The figure raised the item up as high as he could. He ripped open the curtain with so much force that it got the older Cortez brother's attention. Spinner shrieked in terror at the figure behind him.

"The killer has come!" Spinner yelled in fear. "Sherman! Anybody! HEELP!"

He quickly grabbed the showerhead attachment and blasted the intruder with water. The figure was sent back, but still kept going to him.

Right then and there, it felt like a knife went through Spinner's heart.

* * *

"Oh, no! NOO! Not this scene, please! Someone spare me! Sherman! Anybody! HEELP! Ohh, Mercy! Meerrcccyyy!"

"Spinner!" Sherman said in fear as he dropped his book. Everyone else dropped what they were doing came running up to the bathroom. Vert opened the door to find Zoom soaking wet, with Spinner lying on the shower floor as white as a ghost.

"I just wanted to give him his brush back," Zoom said, holding up the hairbrush. "He dropped it on the floor while we were going to the Hub."

Everyone else laughed at this.

"Very funny!" Spinner pouted as he sat up. "I thought I was going through that scene in _Psycho_! And I was the victim..." he finished weeping.

"I think that's enough scary movies for the week," Vert told them. Everyone else murmured in agreement.


	29. Stress Relief

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is owned by Mattel, Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 7: Stress Relief

"That was a crazy hunt..." Vert muttered to himself as he went to his room.

He caught the sound of a Fender Bass guitar coming from a few rooms down. "A bass guitar?" he asked.

He rushed to Tezz's room and pressed his ear to the door. Inside was Tezz playing a Paramore song on the Bass, when he slipped up on a chord. "Curse my tone-deafness..." he muttered a bit annoyed. "I can play complex melodies like they were nothing, but I'm lackluster on palm-muting!"

Vert knocked on the door. "Yes?" Tezz asked.

"Can I come in?" Vert asked.

"Go ahead," he answered back. Vert let himself in.

As soon as he came in, he was surprised at how tidy his room was for being a scientific genius. Books on particle physics were lined up on the shelf, the desk was clean, and there were certificates on the walls in regards to Tezz's junior high and high school years, mainly in the field of science.

"Tezz, I just wanted you to know that I'm not looking down on you when I make my judgment," Vert explained. "You were pretty amazing back there, but luck just wasn't with us today."

"True, luck was a factor..." he muttered as he put his Bass away.

"Why do you have to be so adamant on your own choices, though?" he asked.

"It took a lot of time and pressure to get me to where I am today," he explained. "I can't screw up no matter what. Plus, this is a life or death situation, you need all the help you can get against the Red Sentients, and I don't want to let one screw up cost us the Blue Sentient's life."

"That's true," Vert said, looking down. "Nice guitar," he complimented, hoping to ease him up a little by changing the subject.

"This? It's a Fender American Standard Precision Bass, modeled for those left-handed," he explained. "I find it stress relief for me."

'Looks like the band "Battle Force 5" is becoming real.' Vert thought. "Before, you said you were tone-deaf. What do you mean by that?"

"It's embarrassing, even for a genius like myself," he explained. "Though I can read sheet music and name a key of a composition just by listening, somewhere along the line, I slip on a basic technique no matter how hard I try."

"Do you want me to have Stanford give you some lessons when we're not in a Battle Zone?" Vert asked.

"Does he play bass?"

"He mixes music, but he knows some tips for that guitar of yours," Vert told him.

Tezz thought about it for a moment. It _would_ help a little if he could try to get over some hurdles.

"Let's arrange a time, then, Captain," he said.


	30. Strange Mirror

Disclaimer: The Hot Wheels series is by Mattel. "Hot Wheels: Battle Force Five" is owned by Mattel and Nerd Corps Entertainment. Pokemon is by Satoshi Tajiri.

Data Drafts: Fused

Extra 8: Strange Mirror

Stanford came into the Hub after receiving a package from his Grandmother in England. Vert, Sage, and Zoom decided to follow him. After he put the package down, he breathed a sigh of relief and turn to find the three. "Oh, hello, chaps," he greeted.

"What's in the package?" Zoom asked as Vert went over to open it.

"Granny sent a mirror to me a few days ago, said it would look nice in my room," Stanford explained. "She also said it was 'special' in some way, and that the reflection isn't what it is normally."

By the time he finished, Vert took out an object hidden under a white sheet from the box. He removed the sheet to find a large-looking mirror framed in wood, propped on a stand, and had some strange carvings decorated on the frame.

Stanford took a look in the mirror, but the reflection surprised everyone. He turned to the group. "I really don't see what so special about it," he began.

"Uh, dude?" Zoom asked.

"The reflective spherical glass is giving off an unusual image," Sage noticed.

Stanford looked at her, confused at her choice of vocabulary.

"Look in the mirror," Vert told him.

He nodded and turned back. His reflection was that of a medium-sized blue penguin with yellow flippers, an owl-like face with blue eyes, and feathers with the chest showing his sentient symbol on one of the white oval "buttons". He yelled in fear.

"Don't look at me!" Stanford yelled. "I'm a monster! **A monster!**"

He ran off.

"I thought it was cool," Vert said in confusion. He looked in the mirror.

His reflection was that of a slim proportioned echidna with five red spots on his back and pointy ears. The top half of his body was blue, the lower half cream colored and he had red, slanted eyes. His back side had the sentient symbol for Leader.

"But this is cooler!" he exclaimed as he looked at his form.

"Vert, let me see!" Zoom exclaimed. He got out of the way. Zoom took a look next.

His reflection was that of a small yellow-furred rodent with triangular ears and pink cheeks. There was a black "collar" on the upper part of his cheeks, the ears were also black, and he had a black, angled tail in back of him. One of his ears had the sentient symbol for Scout on it.

"Weird," Zoom said after a moment. "Wicked weird."

"It fits you, but why the pink cheeks?" Vert asked, going up to Zoom and pointing to his cheeks. Zoom shrugged.

The two turned to Sage. "Go on," Vert told her. "Take a look."

She curiously floated to the mirror. Her reflection showed that of an origami crane in 3-D, only rounded out with a floating head. Her spherical body was magenta with a blue stripe, while her wings, beak, and tail were light blue. The wings and stripe carried some of her markings.

"This is...me?" she asked in confusion.

"Note to self: ask Stanford's Grandma where she got that mirror," Vert reminded himself in amazement.


End file.
